Paul’s misadventures - speed kills, so I bought this

That was all I could muster on Saturday, felt slightly better today so on with slightly more involved jobs...starting with an oil change.

Nice and moist back here - I think there's a minor leak at the back of the engine block, but I don't care enough to investigate further if I'm being entirely honest. It doesn't drip, just sweats...



Oil was dirty but nothing suspect in here



Ever open the hood on a car and not have a clue where the oil filter even is? Yeah, not on this baby. Came straight out of the top.



Today's flavour of nutritious dinosaur, as recommended by Google and sorted by cheapest on eBay




Under bonnet lighting, desirable optional extra




Next on the list was the trans oil. She's very sluggish to change gears when cold and, although there's only 80k on the clock, there's no way the oil's been changed in the 21 years she's been alive. Jeep helpfully did not include a drain plug, so the recommended method is 'undo a couple of bolts, let it dribble, undo a couple more...and repeat'



Not the worst I've seen, but brown, smelly and too thick for sure.




Old filter looking grubby.


Some dirt on the magnet, but nothing especially shiny so that's a plus


Old v. New filtray



Pan cleaned up ready for refitting - cork gasket in place (more on this later)



Filled up with Dexron +4 ATF, and a scoot up the main road showed she was shifting MUCH better - especially from 1 to 2. Nowhere near as jerky. So that's a win!

Emboldened by my apparent success I wanted to tackle the lift kit all round. Starting with the rear, just need to remove the lower shock bolt and sway bar link. Now sway bars were mentioned on the MOT so I had a couple of replacements ready.

Yuck



Quick blast with the Nilfisk pressure washer (bought about 18 months ago and paid for itself time and time again)...much better



Undoing the sway bar went about as well as this photo would suggest.



Bottom bolt came out a treat...but the top one would not unscrew from the bracket. It just wasn't happening. 15mm bolt into a captive 21mm. So instead I removed the bracket itself (again, only 2 15mm bolts). The end of the bolt had badly corroded and was not coming out, so I ground off as much as I could, liberally doused it in penetrating oil and heat and, with the power of 5G, managed to eventually separate the two. The other side was exactly the same story. The offending bolt:



New hotness in place eventually



Now this is where things got a bit real, so the photos tend to dry up when things get serious. I had a proper battle using my old and bulky spring compressors into place and compressed enough to remove the springs without fouling. You can see the predicament on the right here



Much swearing did ensue.

I eventually undid both sides at the same time and lowered the rear axle on a jack, which gave me enough room to hoik the old spring out, insert the 2" spacer at the bottom of each spring cup, and reinsert the spring (with help of SWMBO jumping on the hub).

End result was that the rear is done - and here she is with new mud tyres installed.



I do like the rake, but it's only temporary until I have time to install the front spacers.

I've also asked for some 5x5 wheel spacers to widen the track a bit - nothing is fouling at the rear, but the fronts already catch the wheel linings on tight turns and it'll only be worse when I've got the mud tyres up front too.

Just tidying up and...what's this?



Drips of fresh, wholesome Dexron ATF, that's what.

Got underneath, nipped up the bolts...no difference. Now I've done enough trans pans to be pretty methodical when it comes to snugging the bolts slowly and surely in stars/diagonals, asserting even pressure etc. etc. so exactly this doesn't happen. My conclusion is that the cork gasket (as I feared) is about as much use as a bra on a snake.

I've fished the old, solid, metal-and-plastic gasket out of the bin and will have to remove the sump again...hoping I can clean up my drain pan and save as much atf as possible as I put about a gallon in there.

So, so close to a great day...

Cheers for the heads up on the rocker cover gasket... The very back spark plug came out a bit oily around the collar, so I expect that's it. Not a priority.

4 speed 42RE trans in the 4.0...been around in one form or another since the 50s😂.

Where's it leaking? Because you can see in the pic of it laid on top of the pan that it isn't quite the right shape...

oh dear. can i predict rear axle failure? yes, yes i can

loving the frantic pace you are rotating the fleet at

Whilst I've been arsing around with my side projects, SWMBO has been diligently working on our campervan project on and off for the last 18 months, and we think we're at a point where it's ready to hit the road...so it's time for an update.

Firstly, the state of purchase in November 2019 - a roadside repair truck for HGVs with 201k on the clock and plenty of battle scars...just how I like them

















So the racking and roof bars were removed and sold off, which added a fair wedge to the fund. Priorities were pretty simple - a bit more light, a pull out bed, sleeping space for the 3 of us, and some electrics (both 12v and 240v) to charge phones, cool box, run a TV when on 'proper' campsites etc. etc. So, in a jumbled and largely random order

Insulation going in...so much insulation. Big priority as it's basically a thin metal box on wheels








Flooring pulled up, any bare or surface rust protected, frame down to support a marine ply floor...





Got a bit excited and laid the laminate probably too soon (originally destined for a hair salon, this was the leftovers so it's pretty durable and good quality...and cheap!)



Slave labour being employed once again - this time to assemble the rock and roll bed. We considered building one from scratch but the cost, time and chance of it going wrong made simply buying flat pack a much more appealing option.



Bed resting in place, mattress sourced. It's a double, 'memory' foam, sliced in half with an electric turkey carver. £10 on Facebook. You love to see it.



Twin leisure batteries sourced (originally destined for a cherry picker but a cancelled order from a local tradesman), split relay installed to the van battery under the passenger seat in the front, and connected to a solar panel on the roof. Note also the window we fitted at the start of the project...see page 1



Only a single panel but the LBs are only really there to charge phones, run the LED lights and keep a cool box ticking over when the van is parked and we're not on mains voltage. An unexpected benefit was that on sunny days the solar panel would be supplying well over 13 volts, so the relay would open and top up the van battery instead. I fitted it last spring and, despite the van barely turning it's wheels in almost a year, never had to charge the main battery.

New door seals fitted to the back and side doors as the old ones were toast, and carpet all through (all expertly done by Mrs. Paul...my talents were limited to the electrical and mechanical side, not design at all)





Originally this space was going to be the bed for little Paul, but he grew exponentially in the last 18 months and didn't much fancy being cooped in up there. So a cargo net has been fitted across the front, the bed slats initially bought to form an actual bed will still be fitted as support (it's the roof of the front cab, and otherwise just grey cardboard) and it'll be a useful storage space instead.



He seems much happier here instead. Early on in the build I purchased and installed a swivel plate for the front passenger seats - pricey, but opens up a surprising amount of space. The hammock is fitted to wherever you can hook it on - the seats bear the weight, not the van, and he'll have a sleeping bag in there as well. Bit jealous that he doesn't have to share tbh.



Shiplap being installed up the sides - longer term this will be the 'kitchenette' area - there's wiring behind there for a 12v water pump and switch - but that's for another day...



Next to the bed, a series of 12v plugs that connect to the van battery directly (to keep cold snacks cold when moving) and to the leisure batteries (to keep cold snacks cold when not moving). Switched and fused...we had a minor hitch when one stopped working. NOT my wiring as it turned out, but simply a dud fuse.



SWMBO was very insistent on having a roof hatch and ceiling fan that both blows in and out. Fitting this caused all sorts of headaches in terms of keeping it watertight, and making everything line up underneath. Given the convex shape of the roof, the ribs on the ceiling, the insulation and framing etc. etc. there's quite a big gap between the hatch on top and the fan/controls underneath. Frankly I've no idea how she made it all fit, but fit it does. There's about 3 cubic tons of sealant up top which is keeping it totally watertight as well. It lets in just enough light too.











Wiring loop put in place for 6 of these LED lights - touch operated. Bit pricier than normal switched lights, but much easier to operate and obviously you can have any combination on/off at any time. I'm glad Mrs. P went with the warmer, yellow light as I wouldn't have...which would have been a mistake. Much more homely.



Fast forward to the last few days and a few homely touches have been added...





I even remembered that I'd bought a bonnet bra on eBay waaaaaaay back at the start



The reflective zig-zag lines are made of crushed glass and would take an aaaaaage to remove - this is much quicker.

And that pretty much brings us up to date. She should be at the Weekender, so if you see us in the camping area and you're at all interested please drop by and say hello. Save your questions for Mrs. P though...she's now an expert in the thermal properties of a myriad of insulation and knows exactly which wood, screw, mastic, sealant etc. etc. you need.

200 miles in and we've not had a recurrence, although it definitely did feel like boost just wasn't boosting. Cheers for the tip!

Currently resting at Lulworth Cove...

Spoke too soon.




Pinhole in the bottom of the radiator letting a wee drip drip drip happen. The 7 hour drive home with me hammering through the gears in impotent rage would not have helped.

Still, looks simple enough (Haynes manual suggests removing from the bottom) and my local breaker can do me a good one for a tenner. Weekend planned

You've bought an Ambrams tank?

'consolidating the fleet' is the current subtitle of this thread

I think Paul might need to update this😂